Unexpected Adventures in Raptor Training
by WhitR
Summary: Owen Grady took a job on Isla Nublar as a member of Jurassic World's Asset Containment Unit after he left the Navy. Everything was going well for him until he accidentally imprinted on the newest hatchlings in the nursery and became part of a project InGen had been planning for years.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first venture into writing fanfic for the Jurassic Park series. There are parts of this story that will include references to events, dinosaurs, & characters from the first three movies, the Jurassic Park novel, & even a video game storyline. If you've not read the novel, then I imagine some will be confused about some things I mention (such as certain characters being alive when in film canon, they actually died). Anyway, I'll try to explain things that would be a reference so they'll be understood. **

**And just a little more info about this story – I know Jurassic World made it seem like Owen Grady had always been the raptor trainer, but I had an idea for how he came to be in that position & this story is the result. **

**Disclaimer: I obviously own nothing you recognize from any form of Jurassic Park. I wouldn't be working 2 jobs if I did. lol**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated! Enjoy!**

 _June 2008_

Fifteen years since the demise of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar once again buzzed with activity. Public interest in bringing dinosaurs to life again had paved the way for a new dinosaur park to be built on the island. Investors were continuing to support seeing what animals could come from the Hammond Creation Lab as the first three years had seen a steady increase in daily attendance. Despite the catastrophic failure of its predecessor, Jurassic World had proven to be a global success with visitors from all over the world flocking to the island every day.

"Do you ever wonder just how long it'll be before they do something that'll shut this park down like the first one?"

Owen Grady looked over his shoulder at his fellow ACU teammate Dylan Hurd who stood behind him. Dylan was twenty-four and had been with the ACU since the opening of the park in 2005. Despite being five years older, Owen had somehow managed to learn more from his younger teammate than almost anyone else. He guessed it was because they were a lot alike. They were two of the youngest members of the ACU. They both acted way below their age at times, but they took pride in their jobs.

The Asset Containment Unit was one of the first things established once plans were drawn up for the new park. Simon Masrani wanted to ensure that guests would be safe from the dinosaurs that roamed the park in the event one were to escape, and he wanted one of the best park security teams in any theme park in the world. There would be no expense spared in ensuring the dinosaurs could be kept under control after what had happened with the original park in the early 1990s. Working with the ACU wasn't what Owen originally pictured himself doing when he left the Navy, but his love for animals and the need to start a new life led him to Isla Nublar when the opportunity presented itself.

"I don't try to think about it, Dylan," He told the younger man as he looked out at the water of the mosasaurus lagoon. Dylan took a seat across from him at the small picnic table shaded by a large gray and blue umbrella. "Besides, this park at least made it past being opened. The first one never opened to the public."

It was mid-afternoon, and Owen was taking a break from helping his ACU unit track down and capture half a dozen apatosaurus that escaped from their area when a tree felled by a late night storm took down a section of fence near the northern edge of their enclosure. He had found an empty picnic table by the mosasaur's lagoon, which had been the perfect place to take a break and observe the park visitors.

"We have a hard enough time keeping the pachys in their area, let alone those apatosaurs," Owen told him. "They're going to have to reinforce that fence. That's twice they've managed to get out. Last time it was two of the larger females fighting that knocked it down."

"At least the fence keeping that old T-Rex in her area is working like it should."

"I heard she was a handful when they first got her into that pen," Owen remembered some of the stories from Commander Hamada about how the old girl just did not want to be contained again.

"She nearly killed Jake the first day we had to go after her once the enclosure was finished. He's lucky to have just the scars on his arm from where she got ahold of him."

"Jake? You mean the guy who's in charge of her care now?"

"I guess if she gets ahold of you and doesn't kill you, then you're obligated to take care of her." Dylan turned his attention to the lagoon as well, running a hand through his dark brown hair. "I heard Miss Dearing telling some investors that the mosasarus still had a lot of growing to do. The thing is forty feet long. Apparently Dr. Wu estimates she'll end up being close to seventy feet long."

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about her escaping," Owen mused.

"Unless she grows legs."

"Don't even joke about that," Owen tried to sound serious even though he was trying to picture the large aquatic dinosaur stumbling around on legs. "You don't want to give Dr. Wu any ideas to make our job tougher."

"Ha," Dylan laughed. "Who knows what those mad scientists, especially Dr. Wu, will create. Right now though, the pachys and the occasional triceratops are the only things we really have to watch out for. Lady Margaret likes to be a bit stubborn if we have to check on the triceratops herd. That old girl could give the T-Rex a run for her money."

"Yeah, nobody told me that old triceratops was so grumpy."

Owen recalled one of his first missions with the ACU was to relocate Lady Margaret, the matriarch of the triceratops herd from a holding area on the west side of the island to what had now become 'Gallimimus Valley'. The old triceratops had one larger horn broken in half, a result of a battle with the tyrannosaurus not long after Jurassic Park fell to ruin. She had somehow survived along with her small herd until the island was once again reclaimed for building a theme park. Most of the dinosaurs from the original park had died off, save for the few who managed to not get eaten by the predators or managed to not have a lysine deficiency in their genes like Dr. Wu and the scientists for the original park had planned as a means of population control. Some were also exterminated before construction of the new park began.

"I went in there thinking she was going to be like that older triceratops named Shula," Owen chuckled. "Everyone apparently thought it would be funny not to warn me about Lady Margaret so they could watch the new guy get trampled."

"Commander Hamada told me he's never seen a grown man run that fast before," Dylan laughed as though it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

"If an animal that large with horns that could skewer you like a campfire marshmallow was charging you, I bet you'd run too."

"Hey, at least she's actually threatening!" Dylan laughed again. "I still haven't lived down having a juvenile gallimimus send me running. She ran out of some bushes down by the river, and I seriously thought the baryonyx had me."

Owen laughed loudly as he pictured Dylan running from what would be the Jurassic equivalent of an small ostrich.

"I guess we should be thankful that there really aren't too many predators on the island to worry about, but Commander Hamada said yesterday that he's heard InGen wants velociraptors."

"When did he say that?" Owen questioned, raising a brow at Dylan. "I don't remember him saying anything about raptors."

"During that meeting you didn't show up for yesterday," Dylan answered with a chuckle. "The one you slept through."

"Who the hell schedules a meeting for six in the morning? The park doesn't even open until eight."

"You really aren't a morning person, are you?"

"Not at all," Owen sighed. "It really makes me question why I took this job sometimes."

"It's not that bad, but you could have one of the worst jobs on the island."

"What's that?"

"Cleanup crew," Dylan chuckled. "You could be stuck cleaning up apatosaurus poop or going into ol' Rexy's home to clean up her poop or the remains of those poor goats."

"True," Owen agreed. "Anyway, why would InGen want raptors for? Didn't they learn how uncontrollable those things are? I mean, the original ones were ruthless killing machines. There's no use for a creature like that ."

"Been reading Muldoon's book, huh?"

"He really hated the raptors," Owen frowned. "I always thought they were fascinating."

"I'm sure he'd disagree with you on that one," Dylan commented. "I read his book not long after it got published. It seemed as though he was the only one who understood how dangerous the raptors were. He wanted them all killed, and from what I heard, all but a few raptors were killed after the first park failed."

"Is it true they wanted to drop napalm all over this island?"

"Yeah, it is," Dylan nodded. "The Costa Rican government and the American government wanted to obliviate everything here. For whatever reason, they didn't. Most of the dinosaurs died out on their own, but the raptors actually reproduced enough to form a few separate packs. All but one pack was killed off. A small pack of about eight raptors got sent to Isla Sorna."

"Why?"

"Rumor is InGen wanted to study the raptors for some project back on the mainland," Dylan shrugged. "I don't know what they expect to do with them. The raptors from this island as well as the ones that were already on Isla Sorna aren't the kind of animals you want on display at a place like this."

"I just think they went about it wrong for the first park," Owen leaned back and watched the mosasaurus swim around her lagoon.

"How so?" Dylan raised a brow.

"The animals, especially the raptors, had no human contact aside from just a short time after they hatched," Owen explained. "Sure, they saw humans first when they hatched, but those humans never truly imprinted on them because those dinosaurs were immediately secluded until they reached the right size to release into the park. Everything I've read about the first park indicates no real human contact with the animals unless it was for a vet checkup."

"So, you're saying you think raptors can be tamed? "

"No," Owen shook his head. "I'm just saying that animals in captivity do better if they're not forced into seclusion from such a young age."

"Maybe you should tell that to Ms. Dearing," Dylan chuckled. "I'm sure she'd love to have an attraction featuring tame raptors."

"In her dreams, maybe," Owen scoffed, thinking of the park's fiery redheaded director. "Although I'm sure she'd love that sort of thing since it's something people would go crazy for."

Their conversation was interrupted by a voice from the radio clipped to Owen's belt.

"Grady, Hurd, if you two are done enjoying your unapproved break," their unit leader Jeremy Carver's authoritative voice cut in. "I need you both over here at the east end of the Cretaceous Cruise exhibit for a final inspection of the fences and river banks. Ms. Dearing wants this newest attraction ready in three days."

Owen keyed the mic button on the radio. "Yes, sir. We'll be right over."

The duo got to their feet and headed for the ACU vehicle Owen had driven over to the main part of the park.

"Wonder how fast Director Dearing would want a raptor exhibit done if you could tame the raptors? " Dylan questioned with a laugh.

"I never said they could be tamed," Owen shot back. "And I never said they'd be a good addition to this park."

"But what if they do decide to create raptors for this park?"

"Then I hope they hire someone to work with them properly," Owen answered honestly. "Otherwise, they'll just turn into man-eating dinosaurs just like the ones before. Then we'll all be in trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the follows/favorites/reviews for this story! To those who reviewed, I replied to your reviews individually. But if you'd rather me just address your reviews in the text before the start of the next chapter instead, let me know.**

 **Countdown - I couldn't PM you, so here's my thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter!**

 **Additional author's note after the end of the chapter.**

* * *

August 2008

"Mr. Grady, would you please pay attention?"

"Sorry, Miss Dearing," Owen gave his best impression of a schoolboy who'd just been scolded. "I'll pay attention now, I swear."

"Maybe if you took your job a little more seriously, you wouldn't feel the need to doze off during important meetings," she narrowed her eyes. "Or sleep through important meetings with Commander Hamada."

Her retort earned a few snickers from the other ACU members and park employees in the room. Even Commander Hamada chuckled. Dylan, who sat on Owen's left tried to stifle his own laughter.

Owen resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Claire Dearing. Of all the people who worked at Jurassic World, Claire seemed to be the only one who was beyond serious about her job. Sure, Owen was serious about his own work, but he already knew Claire was on a level of her own in that aspect. Especially when it came to meetings about the park and its dinosaurs—or 'assets' as she so often called them.

Every four months, a meeting was held in order to go over the park's operations and attractions. With no signs of slowing down, Jurassic World had gained some investors who wanted to help the park expand its attractions.

Owen had been sitting in the large meeting room above the Hammond Creation Lab listening to Dr. Wu go over the plans for dinosaur creation for the next six months. Then Claire began discussing where the dinosaurs would go within the park as they completed new attractions. Sure it was exciting news to know he still had job security for at least the next couple of years, but Owen would have preferred to find that out some time later than right at the crack of dawn.

Most of the dinosaur species being created were ones that the park already had. The lab just wanted to increase the numbers in some of the herbivore herds. Plus, there were talks of adding a petting zoo area within the next two years so they wanted to test some of the hatchling herbivores to see if they would be fine for visitors to interact with. They planned on adding dimorphodons, a small pterosaur species, to the aviary that already housed a small flock of much larger pteranodon.

Owen listened attentively for the first hour until his attention span got shorter and shorter. The final straw for Claire had been when Owen began to nod off as she was speaking.

"Attendance is still growing every month, but it had slowed a little bit earlier this year," Claire continued on after she sent a pointed look in Owen's direction. "That's why we opened the Cretaceous Cruise a couple months early. The new attraction has brought in thousands more visitors."

"Are you sure it's safe for visitors to be out on that stretch of river in kayaks?" a new member of the ACU questioned. Owen couldn't remember her name, but he did remember how she questioned everything about the park's security features for the first week.

"I assure you it's safe," Claire answered. "The dinosaurs for that exhibit pose no threat to the visitors. There are four guides for that attraction who also help keep an eye out for any potential problems. We have done our best to ensure the visitors' safety here… "

He tried to focus more on what she was saying, even if his attention did turn to the large window that overlooked the Main Street as the morning sun lit up the island. He could see the Mosasaurus Lagoon from there. The large aquatic dinosaur was swimming lazily around the perimeter of the lagoon as she often did early in the mornings.

He had hoped that there would have been mention of velociraptors. A paddock was being built on the northern end of the island, but nobody knew why or what species it would hold. While most of the park's employees figured it was going to be for a new attraction, Owen wondered if it was being built so far from main part of the park because it would house a dangerous species that would need to be kept away from the busiest area on the island.

Although 'dangerous' was a relative term depending on species. There really were no safe dinosaurs in the park, except maybe the hatchlings in the nursery.

Finally, the meeting ended just after the park opened for the day.

"So far, this park is exceeding expectations and there are many more attractions planned for the near future." Claire concluded her long-winded talk about the park's assets and visitor safety. Owen would be lying if he said he listened to even half of what she had said. "If any of you have questions or concerns about anything, please feel free to speak to my assistant Zara to schedule a meeting. Thank you for your time this morning."

As quickly as possible, Owen left the room. He never could sit still very long when it came to meetings. Everyone hurried off to start their duties for the day. Owen knew he had nothing pressing to do unless an emergency situation arose so he took the elevator down to the main floor of the building. The ferries from the mainland had yet to unload all the visitors for the day so the main floor of the building was still fairly quiet.

Owen strolled by the lab windows where anyone could look in on the geneticists working. A few eggs were in an incubator by the window. Owen recognized them as apatosaur eggs. He hoped these babies survived. The previous month had seen the park lose six adult apatosaurs and three juveniles after an illness struck that nearly wiped out the entire herd. Only two adults and one juvenile apatosaur remained.

"Are you as disappointed as I am that nobody mentioned raptors?"

Owen didn't have to turn around to know Dylan had caught up with him. His teammate stepped up to his right to look in at the eggs.

"Maybe that was just a rumor to throw everyone off from what that paddock in that northern area is really for," Owen suggested. "If raptors were going to be an addition to this park, I think there would be a lot more talk about it though."

"Or maybe InGen doesn't want anyone to know the truth," Dylan countered, the sighed sadly as his gaze fell on the apatosaur eggs. "I hope those will make it. It's sad to see just how few of them are left in the valley now."

"I helped Dr. Harding move the five from the last clutch into the larger nursery paddock a few days ago," Owen informed him. "They were all healthy. Still can't believe how big they are at three months old. They're already as tall as I am."

"They definitely grow fast," Dylan nodded. "I asked Dr. Wu what happened with the herd. Apparently it was something in their DNA sequence that had left them vulnerable to whatever virus it was that struck. He said he changed the sequence for that last clutch and this one too so they'd hopefully have better immune systems."

"I think they'll be fine," Owen assured him.

"I hope so," Dylan looked at the eggs a moment longer before changing the subject. "I forgot to mention it, but I saw some guy from InGen talking to Dr. Wu last week. I didn't catch all of what he said, but I heard him mention raptors. Dr. Wu didn't seem to be bothered much by whatever the guy said though. I've actually seen that guy talking to Dr. Wu a few times over the last few months."

"If InGen wants to study them for whatever reason, can't they just set up a base on Isla Sorna? Why bother having them in a park again?"

Dylan shrugged. "Beats me. Let's just hope they don't decide to bring back the troodons."

"Troodons?"

"They were small carnivores, about three feet tall. Think of them as sort of mini velociraptors."

"What happened to the first ones?"

"Hammond asked for them to all be euthanized. The surviving ones left after the Jurassic Park fell were all killed before Masrani began building on the island again. Apparently they were a lot more dangerous than anyone expected."

"How so?"

"They were intelligent pack hunters. And they had a nasty bite with venom that would paralyze anything they bit. They'd just follow whatever they bit until it was no longer able to run. But that's not even the worst part."

"It gets worse?" Owen was almost afraid to ask.

"Dr. Harding was with her father and a few others here during the incident back in ninety-three when they had to escape the island," Dylan explained. "Apparently some mercenaries from InGen showed up to evacuate the island. One of them fell victim to the troodon. Dr. Harding said they later found him, paralyzed but still alive with his abdomen eaten out and one of the troodon had actually laid eggs in his abdomen."

Owen swallowed back the gag that threatened to make his breakfast from that morning reappear on the tiled floor.

"Even the raptors were terrified of the troodons," Dylan continued on, oblivious to the fact Owen was dangerously close to actually getting sick from the mental imagery of the InGen soldier's horrific death. "So, basically, the raptors might have been the bigger story once Jurassic Park failed, but even they weren't as bad as the troodons."

"I can't believe they'd lay their eggs like that!" Owen blurted out then tried to get his mind off the subject. "And how do you know all of this? You're like a history book on this place."

"I was curious about the first park after news of it got out, so I've been researching a lot since then," Dylan smiled brightly. "Dinosaurs always fascinated me as a kid. So when I learned that dinosaurs had been brought back to life, I wanted to learn everything I could possibly learn about that. I once wanted to be a paleontologist, but here I am now instead, working around dinosaurs that are alive and breathing instead of just digging up their bones in some barren Jurassic dinosaur graveyard. Still a few species I'd love to see them bring back to life one day though."

"And I also have to ask, why are you so convinced InGen wants raptors again?"

"There's always some tiny bit of truth to a rumor," Dylan shrugged then added. "That guy I've seen talking to Dr. Wu just seems suspicious. I think his last name is Hodges or something like that. I overheard them talking a couple weeks ago, and he said something about raptors. Dr. Wu told him not to worry and that everything was going according to plan. Whatever that means."

"You sure he mentioned raptors?"

"Pretty positive," Dylan nodded. "So there's something going on, that's for sure. I'll admit that the raptors really were fascinating creatures. Their intelligence was incredible. I think it would be fun to observe them."

"Yeah, it's all fun until you get ripped to shreds by one of those things," Owen said wryly. "I'll admit that I think they were fascinating too, but it's a good thing they were removed from the island. They were too dangerous for the first park, and they'd definitely be too dangerous for this one."

"Dr. Wu admitted that they underestimated how smart and aggressive the raptors would be," Dylan went on. "I told him what you'd said about imprinting on them. He said that with the first raptors, they tried that but by the time the raptors were four months old, they had become so aggressive nobody wanted to continue working with them so they got put into a paddock and left alone. They were fed using a crane to lower the food, usually a cow, into the paddock because they had learned the routine and mauled an employee who was opening a gate to throw in food."

"And that's why it would be a bad idea to try it again," Owen tried to reason. "They were too smart and too aggressive for the first park. There's no use for them here."

"Could you imagine it though?" Dylan looked at him.

"Two months ago, you didn't seem to think it would be a good idea to have raptors, and now you do? What changed your mind?"

"This park needs something really interesting," Dylan looked back at the apatosaur eggs. "Don't get me wrong, all the animals here are interesting, but so far, we don't have any major predators aside from Rexy and the mosasaurus."

"I'd be okay if it stayed that way," Owen admitted. "There's less of a chance for this park to end up like the first one if they stay away from predators."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Dylan sighed. "But people will get bored of just seeing lumbering herbivores."

"Lumbering herbivores?" Owen chuckled. "Listen to you, using those big words."

"Hey now," Dylan shot back playfully. "I didn't get this job just because of my good looks. I'm not as dumb as I act sometimes."

"The jury's still out on that one," a female voice chimed in behind them. They turned to see another ACU member behind them.

"Hey, Abby," Dylan greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, Dylan, Owen," she smiled at them both. "So, Dylan, I was thinking that since it's sort of a slow day for us, maybe you'd like to meet up this evening for dinner at Margaritaville?"

Owen tried to hide his amusement. For the last year, he had watched Abigail and Dylan all but admit their feelings for each other. The entire ACU loved to poke fun of how they both acted like lovestruck teens at times.

"Sounds good," Dylan smiled even more. "How about we meet their around five or so? I've got patrol duty on the Main Street area until then anyway."

"Awesome," Abigail turned to Owen. "Would you like to join us? Maybe you could invite Ms. Dearing. I hear she just adores you."

"She adores me about as much as Rexy enjoys a salad," Owen retorted. "Thanks for the invite, but I'll have to take a rain check."

"Suit yourself," she laughed. "I better get going. I'm going to help out on the Cretaceous Cruise exhibit today. Later!"

She turned and hurried away. Owen shook his head, laughing, before he looked to Dylan.

"Have fun on your date," Owen clapped him on the back.

"It's not a date!" Dylan said, his face turning a faint shade of red.

"Keep telling yourself that, buddy," Owen smirked. "I'd be willing to bet more on it actually being a date than velociraptors being on this island again."

* * *

 **I know not much happened in this chapter, but a few things were said in the conversation between Owen & Dylan that will lay the groundwork for future events in the story, beginning with the next chapter. When I first had this story idea, I didn't plan on Dylan being present so much. He was more of a character I'd insert a few times, but my Muse demanded Dylan get a bigger part in the story than just being a character who didn't mean much in the long run. I hope he's not coming off as a boring character. I sort of wanted him to be like a younger brother to Owen & he's meant to be how I pass along some information I use to lay the groundwork for the park and the animals featured in this story.**

 **There are things mentioned in this chapter that are from the Jurassic Park video game (such as the information on the troodons), so if you ever read something that you're not sure I've made up myself or used from something canon within a franchise item like the game, send me a PM and I'll explain.**

 **Lastly, the title of this story isn't that great, I know. If you have suggestions for a better title, please feel free to let me know! Until next time... I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Surprise! I've finally updated this again after letting it fall to the way side. I'm so sorry for probably making you think this story was abandoned. It's not. Life happened and it's taken me a while to get back in to writing.**

 **I'm still not fond of the title, so I'm open to suggestions for a new title for this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter!**

October 2008

Storm clouds loomed on the horizon as Owen walked down Main Street. It was one of his rare days off, but Owen lived on the island so he chose to take in the sights as a tourist. Some of his coworkers thought he was crazy for not leaving the island on his days off. The rest of them took the first ferry to the mainland whenever they had any free time. Owen would never outright admit it, but he didn't really like leaving the island. In the short time since he had moved into his bungalow on the outskirts of the park, Owen considered the island his home. Just like many of the other employees, he had been offered his own condominium in the heart of the park, but Owen had declined. He much preferred his own little home along the lakeside.

Owen had no major reason to ever leave the island unless it was a quick day trip to the mainland for supplies he couldn't already find on Isla Nublar. He didn't have any family to visit – just a few estranged relatives he hadn't seen since before he joined the Navy when he was nineteen.

His father, who spent twenty-five years in the Navy, died a few days after Owen's fifteenth birthday. His father's stories about the Navy inspired Owen to give it a shot once he was old enough. His mother, heartbroken by her husband's death, fell into a deep depression and passed a few months after Owen's nineteenth birthday. Owen always swore his mother died from a broken heart.

His mother's younger sister offered to let him live with her, but Owen knew she didn't need someone else to take care of on top of her three children. Legally an adult but with no one to guide him through his early adult life, Owen joined the Navy and never looked back once he graduated high school.

Sometimes he got lonely thinking about the family he no longer had, but he knew his ACU comrades were his family now. Plus, he still had some of his Navy buddies he kept in contact with.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts about his family and turned his attention to the ones hurrying down the path toward the Mosasaurus Lagoon for the next scheduled feeding. The only other spectacle that could draw a large crowd was the tyrannosaurus rex feeding.

Even with the storm threatening to ruin an otherwise perfect day, thousands of people still entered the park. Owen knew from experience just how bad storms could get on the island. Though he hoped he never had to ride out a hurricane on the island, especially after what happened in 1993.

He kept a close eye on the clouds, knowing that if the storm produced as much lightning as meteorologists had predicted he would potentially have to help out with ensuring the guests made it to safety. He continued on down the street toward the creation lab. His curiosity about the man from InGen who had been seen talking to Dr. Wu piqued earlier that morning when Dylan called to tell him he had seen the InGen employee getting off a helicopter with Simon Masrani. Owen knew if the man was there, he would be in the lab at some point. He stepped through the large doors to find park visitors already checking out the sights within the building.

He almost laughed out loud at the number of people trying to get a look at the cutting edge science happening on the other side of large glass windows. Guests pressed their faces against the glass to watch the scientists work. Four hatchling triceratops, less than twenty minutes old, were looking up at a scientist as she wrote notes down on the clipboard in her hand. More eggs lay on two other incubators. Owen walked past the crowds to the doors to the lab. He swiped his ID badge and entered the main area of the laboratory. A young scientist looked up quickly in Owen's direction then immediately turned his attention back to the microscope on the table.

"Hello, Mr. Grady," a voice greeted from his left side.

"Dr. Wu," Owen looked at the senior geneticist. "Please, call me Owen."

"Noted," Dr. Wu chuckled as he lay down some paperwork on a desk and faced Owen. "I'm assuming you're off the clock since you're not wearing your ACU gear. So, what brings you in here today?"

"Just wanted to see if I could get a glance at the newest additions to the park," Owen glanced around. "How are the apatosaurs doing?"

"The latest clutch is doing really well," he answered. Then nodded toward a middle-aged dark-haired woman sitting at a computer on the other side of the room. "Eliza can show you where they are if you want to see them. All of them are thriving."

"What about the ones I helped move out into the larger nursery paddock last month?"

"They were introduced to the herd a few days ago," Dr. Wu answered. "According to Dr. Harding, the juveniles integrated into the herd without any issues."

"That's good to hear," Owen grinned. He switched tactics, trying to see if he could get Dr. Wu to confirm or deny the rumor about the velociraptors that kept swirling around. "So, what's the latest on any predators for the park? I mean, Rexy is getting old, and the only other predator we have is the mosasaurus."

"You forgot the baryonyx along the river," Dr. Wu corrected. "We're still deciding on whether or not we want to add any more predators into the park. Claire has talked about us creating another tyrannosaurus due to the one we have now being older, but we'll do that when the time comes for the older one to go."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to do it before something happens to Rexy? I mean, she has a routine and she ignores visitors in the viewing area most of the time. If you created one before she's gone, it could learn from her what to do so maybe it wouldn't end up being a big handful."

"You raise an excellent point," Dr. Wu nodded. "Too bad you weren't here when the first park was built. You've had ideas that could've helped that park thrive."

"I'm pretty sure that if you all had listened to Muldoon, the first park would've done a bit better. I mean, it wasn't so much Rexy was the problem as it was the raptors who were too smart for anyone to handle. One had already killed someone long before the night of the hurricane."

"Ah, yes," Dr. Wu confirmed. "The raptors did take us all by surprise in their intelligence. It's a shame we couldn't bring them back for this park."

"Did anyone ever want to?"

"Mr. Grady, I know what you're getting at," Dr. Wu looked him in the eyes. "I know the rumors that have been going around. Yes, there was talk of raptors in the park, but that'll never happen. They're too dangerous to have on display."

"You're sure about that?"

"Did you suddenly forget that I was here the first time?" Dr. Wu asked, visibly irritated. "Look, I've got some important work to finish up today for an upcoming project so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop pestering me over the rumors."

"But that paddock in the northern—"

"It's a research paddock for scientists to come observe some animals without being disturbed by thousands of people every day."

"Oh, well, that makes sense," Owen accepted Dr. Wu's answer even if he still suspected the geneticist wasn't telling him everything. "Sorry for being pushy, Dr. Wu. It's just…. I was curious, you know?"

Dr. Wu's irritation seemed to vanish. "A lot of people have been ever since that rumor got started. Now, if you don't mind, I have some work I really need to get to."

Owen nodded. "Right. Well, I'll let you get back to work."

He decided to skip seeing the baby apatosaurs since he could always come back later in the evening to see them. Plus, he knew they were more active in the evenings.

As he stepped out of the lab, he looked up at the darkening sky and frowned. He didn't mind storms, but storms on the island seemed to always have a way of causing some sort of trouble.

The last thing he wanted to do on his day off was be called in to wrangle in some escaped pachycephalosaurus like the first time a storm hit after he began working on the island. A phantom ache always pulsed in his ribs whenever he thought about having to be anywhere near a pachy. Mistakenly approaching an angry juvenile pachy during his first month had resulted in three broken ribs when the animal charged him and rammed its armored head into Owen's side before he could dodge it.

Owen weaved his way through the crowd of visitors on Main Street and headed for Paddock Nine. He remembered the paddocks by their numbers, but all of them had formal names for the visitors. Paddock Nine just happened to be the Tyrannosaurus Rex Kingdom. Rexy liked to patrol the boundaries of her territory early in the afternoon before her scheduled feeding. Owen slipped by the crowds, entering through the 'Employees Only' gate that led to a catwalk along the edge of the territory just past the log-shaped viewing area.

He looked out over the expansive area where the old tyrannosaurus lived. The exhibit covered from the edge of Main Street to a clearing down by the river. Owen chuckled as Rexy growled softly as she peered at him from just behind some trees. She had always regarded him curiously ever since the first time he had walked up on the catwalk.

Of course, she might have also learned she would get treats from Owen. She stepped out of the trees to approach Owen. The platform was fifteen feet above her head so there was no chance of her actually getting to him.

The tyrannosaurus stopped just below the platform, ignoring the park visitors a few yards away in the viewing area. Her dark brown scaly skin covered in scars made her look even more formidable than she already did as she turned her focus to Owen above her.

"Hey, old girl," Owen grinned as she studied him. "I bet I know what you're looking for."

He reached into the pocket on the left side of the brown vest he was wearing over a light gray t-shirt. Rexy immediately rumbled a soft growl when she spotted the plastic bag in Owen's hand. He merely laughed, taking a piece of his homemade beef jerky out of the bag.

During a break a few months before, Owen went to the walkway to watch Rexy one evening. He'd been snacking on the beef jerky when Rexy began staring at him. She eventually grew curious and walked over to stand by the walkway. Owen, curious to see her reaction, dropped a piece of the jerky down. It had been comical to watch the large predatory dinosaur try to get the tiny piece of jerky off the ground and into her mouth. Owen then spent the last half of his break dropping pieces of jerky down to Rexy as she practically inhaled the miniscule treat. He still wondered how she even managed to taste any of it that day. He vowed then to make jerky again, but make the pieces larger for Rexy.

Owen laughed as Rexy huffed at him. "Impatient much?"

The dinosaur gave him a look that Owen knew had to mean 'I'll find a way to eat you if you don't give me any jerky within the next five seconds.'. He tossed a piece down to her. He had actually made the pieces larger this time around just for her, but even pieces of jerky the size of his hand were still miniscule to such a large animal.

"You're going to ruin her appetite," a voice stated behind him. "The visitors will be disappointed when she doesn't want to eat that goat."

"Hey, Jess," Owen greeted the park's lead veterinarian Jess Harding. "If a little bit of jerky can fill her up and leave her without an appetite, then I'll have to patent this recipe for a new diet fad."

Jess rolled her eyes. "At least she likes you. She absolutely hates me."

"I doubt that," Owen replied and tossed Rexy another piece of jerky.

"Oh, she does," she brushed a few strands of brunette hair from her face and leaned over the rail to look down at the tyrannosaurus. "Owen doesn't believe you hate me."

In an almost comical move, the large dinosaur stopped chewing on the piece of jerky-to which amused Owen because he couldn't wrap his head around the fact she actually chewed the jerky instead of swallowing it whole like she did with the goat-and growled in Jess's direction.

"I think she's still mad she didn't get the chance to eat me back in ninety three," Jess explained. "She almost did a few times."

"I'll bet that was terrifying as a kid," Owen commented. "I've never really asked you before... What did happen to you and your dad when that hurricane hit?"

Owen had heard part of the story about how Jess and her father, a veterinarian for the original park, had survived being stranded on the island in 1993 when catastrophe struck. Despite the numerous times he had talked to her, Owen still hadn't asked her about that night. From what little bit he did know, Jess and her father barely escaped the island alive.

"Well, let's just say that as a teenager, it made me appreciate life a lot more," Jess laughed. "I don't know what was worse. Running from Rexy. Trying to keep from being velociraptor chow. Or trying not to become a victim to the troodons and their insane venom."

"I heard about the troodons," Owen recalled the stories he'd heard of the species that Dr. Hammond himself wanted exterminated after their creation. "Is it true their venom only paralyzed people and they'd eat them while they were still alive?"

"Yes," Jess shivered. "They were small, but they ran in packs. Almost like miniature velociraptors. Except the raptors were actually terrified of them. My dad said that nobody expected them to be so dangerous. Their venom caused extreme hallucinations and resulted in full paralysis and eventually death if the person who got bitten wasn't treated. The scientists on the island actually had to develop an anti-venom specifically for that after a handler died from a bite."

Rexy grumbled her discontent about the lack of attention she was getting. Owen looked down at the tyrannosaurus as she watched them. He tossed her the last three pieces of jerky. Rexy easily caught the tiny treats in her mouth. She gave another glance at the two people above her territory before retreating back into the trees.

"It's crazy how much she has changed since they put her in this new enclosure," Jess shook her head sadly. "It actually makes me sad seeing her so... tame. Especially when I know how magnificent she can be."

"After all the stories I heard about her, I kept waiting for the day she went on a rampage," Owen sighed. "But she's old, right? Maybe it's just a sign of her age that she's not like she used to be."

"She's definitely old," Jess agreed. "She'd been favoring her left knee for a few months now so we've been injecting supplements into the cow she gets fed every weekend. She's not limping today, so that's a good sign. That's actually why I came by. I needed to check on her, and of course see that you weren't up here ruining her apetite."

Owen playfully nudged Jess in the ribs. "Even if she ate me, her appetite wouldn't be ruined."

A dark expression crossed Jess' face. "I wouldn't be so sure. You've never actually seen her eat someone.

Owen shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, and I hope it stays that way."

"You and me both," Jess sighed. "I still think about the people I saw her kill. Those kinds of things stay with you, and yeah, I hope you never have to see any of the dinosaurs eat someone."'

"I hope this isn't too personal, but it just seems odd that after something so traumatic-"

"You're wondering why I'd become a veterinarian and then care for an animal that nearly killed me," she cut him off and shrugged. "I wasn't in the best place at that time. I was a troubled kid, and barely escaping death with my dad? It changed me. I finally saw in the animals what my dad always saw, so I straightened up my act and followed in his footsteps. My older sister Sarah actually studied the dinosaurs on Isla Sorna and she was with Dr. Malcom when that T-Rex got loose in San Diego."

"Sounds like your family just invites trouble wherever they go, huh?" Owen grinned.

"You'd be surprised," she sighed. "Technically, Sarah is my half sister, and we still don't talk much, but we've tried to stay in contact more since dad died. She's back in Africa, doing another study on African lions. But hey, that's enough about me, huh? What about you? I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your family."

"I don't exactly have much of a family left," Owen looked out over Rexy's habitat. "Dad died when I was fifteen. Mom died a few years later, and I joined the Navy out of high school. I pretty much left everything and everyone behind."

"So, how'd you end up here?"

"I needed a change of senery, and this place was as close to paradise as I was ever going to get," Owen turned to look at her. "Oh, don't give me that sad look. I'm not moping around all alone in my bungalow, you know? I do enjoy it here."

Jess smiled. "I just never see you hanging out with anyone other than Dylan, and to be honest, I think some of the women around here are beginning to think you two have something going on."

Owen couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Oh, well, now there's a rumor that I'm surprised hasn't spread like wildfire. Besides, he and Abigail are seeing each other. I'm just terrible with women, that's all. I didn't exactly have much time to date while I was in the Navy, you know."

"If you left the island more often, I'd be inclined to believe you had a girl on the mainland," she raised a brow at him. "You do know you're pretty much the most eligible bachelor on the island, right?"

"I honestly would've thought that title went to Lowery."

Jess snorted to suppress a laugh. "You're terrible."

"And you've been standing here confirming I'm single," he leaned against the platform railing and gave her a wide smile. "Were you trying to figure that out for someone else or yourself, Dr. Harding?"

Her cheeks turned a faint shade of red. "'I'm going to go now."

"Jess, wait," he caught her arm as she turned away. "You think I don't know you've been talking to Dylan about me? He's tried for a couple weeks now to get me to talk to you."

"Remind me to punch him in the face next time I see him," Jess groaned. Owen let go of her arm. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything to him."

"I think I'd pay to see that," Owen chuckled. "Look, if you'd like to go out on a date, I'm off today. Pick somewhere on the island to eat this evening, and I'll meet you there."

" You're serious?"

"Of course. What kind of man would I be if I wasn't?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Jess replied, looking more relaxed and less embarrassed about the conversation. "Meet me at Winston's at six."

"It's a date."


End file.
